Mehdi Favéris-Essadi (20 January 1977 – 13 September 2011), better known by his stage name DJ Mehdi, was a French-Tunisian
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
and
house music
House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...
producer and DJ. He was signed to the label
Ed Banger Records
Ed Banger Records (sometimes referred to as Ed Rec) is a French electronic music record label founded by Pedro Winter in 2003 as a division of Headbangers Entertainment. It focuses on house music, particularly French house, as well as alternati ...
, founded by his friend
Pedro Winter
Pedro Winter (born Pierre Winter; 21 April 1975), also known by the stage name Busy P, is a French record producer, DJ, record label owner, and former artist manager. He was the manager of Daft Punk from 1996 to 2008,Tunisian background in
Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a department in the Île-de-France region of France. It covers Paris's western inner suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the east, Val-d'Oise to the north, Yvelines to the west and ...
, the northwestern suburbs of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. He was a former disc jockey of the groups Different Teep (ex-group of and Lil Jahson), Idéal J and former member of the collective the Mafia K'1 Fry. He was also a long time the quasi-appointed producer of the group
113 113 may refer to:
*113 (number), a natural number
*AD 113, a year
*113 BC, a year
*113 (band), a French hip hop group
*113 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route
*113 (New Jersey bus), Ironbound Garage in Newark and run to ...
and carried out nearly all the production of the albums for Different Teep and Karlito. Amid his work, Mehdi had remixed various electronic acts and composition soundtracks for many French and international films.
After having been recognized for his efforts and budding into one of the French underground hip hop music scene's premier producers, DJ Mehdi henceforth pushed boundaries by mixing hip hop and electronic music. He collaborated with such notable artists as
Daft Punk
Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining house music, funk, disco, tech ...
MC Solaar
Claude Honoré M'Barali (; born 5 March 1969), professionally known as MC Solaar (), is a French rapping, rapper of Senegalese people, Senegalese and Chadian people, Chadian origin. He is one of France's most famous and influential hip hop musi ...
Asian Dub Foundation
Asian Dub Foundation (ADF) is an English electronic music band that combines musical styles including rap rock, dub, dancehall, ragga, ReggaeEDM, and South Asian music. The group also includes traditional rock instruments such as electric bas ...
and
Chromeo
Chromeo is a Canadian electro-funk duo from Montreal, formed in 2002 by musicians David "Dave 1" Macklovitch and Patrick "P-Thugg" Gemayel. Their sound draws from soul music, dance music, rock, synth-pop, disco and funk.
As of 2024, the band h ...
among others. "Coming from a rap music background, it's always nice to collaborate within other music genres…Paris is very inspiring because a lot of people are making great stuff, music and in other arts related fields also. My music and philosophies revolve around beats and blues, that's how I would try to describe it."
Signing to cross-genre label
Ed Banger Records
Ed Banger Records (sometimes referred to as Ed Rec) is a French electronic music record label founded by Pedro Winter in 2003 as a division of Headbangers Entertainment. It focuses on house music, particularly French house, as well as alternati ...
, Mehdi and
Pedro Winter
Pedro Winter (born Pierre Winter; 21 April 1975), also known by the stage name Busy P, is a French record producer, DJ, record label owner, and former artist manager. He was the manager of Daft Punk from 1996 to 2008,indie and
electronic music
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
, popularization by
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...
and other labels from the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in more recent years helped to bridge the gap between dance genres.
Mehdi's single "I Am Somebody" was used in a 2007 American commercial for
XM Radio
XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (XM) was one of the three satellite radio ( SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable t ...
. More recently, DJ Mehdi was part of a group of friends and DJ's collectively known as "Club 75" which includes Cassius, Busy P and
Xavier de Rosnay
Xavier Dulong de Rosnay (; born 1982) is a French Electronic music, electronic musician and one half of the duo Justice (band), Justice with Gaspard Augé.
Biography
Xavier Dulong de Rosnay was born in 1982, hailing from Seine-et-Marne, alth ...
(Justice). In 2010, he launched a project in collaboration with Riton, a close friend, titled "".
Mehdi, being a fan of the late
J Dilla
James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...
, created a mixtape tribute entitled "Loukoums", which was released in 2006. The mixtape is based on the concept of J Dilla's instrumental album ''
Donuts
A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franch ...
'', released the same year. In regards to the mixtape's direction, theme, and concept, Mehdi stated:
"Based on the DONUTS album concept, these are demos, out-takes and unreleased gems from various records I worked on before and during the making of LUCKY BOY, my next album. Stuff comes from MEGALOPOLIS, 113 DEGRES and SHEITAN soundtrack mainly, but some is older too. Hope you enjoy these rough mixes and un-polished sounds, as I pay hommage to 'one of the greatest minds to ever make beats': Mr. James Yancey, better known as JAY DEE, also known as DILLA."
Since the death of DJ Mehdi in 2011, this mixtape (initially pressed in 200 copies for promotional and family framework) is now available for free on the
Ed Banger Records
Ed Banger Records (sometimes referred to as Ed Rec) is a French electronic music record label founded by Pedro Winter in 2003 as a division of Headbangers Entertainment. It focuses on house music, particularly French house, as well as alternati ...
' Soundcloud page.
Death
Mehdi died on 13 September 2011, when the
skylight
A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes.
History
O ...
of his Paris home collapsed while he was celebrating Riton's birthday with a group of friends on the roof. Mehdi was the only fatality, while three others were injured.
Discography
Albums
;Ideal J
*''Original Mc's '' (1996)
*' (1998)
;113
*' (1998)
*' (1999)
*' (2002)
;Karlito
*' (2001)
;Mapei
*''Cocoa Butter Diaries'' (2009)
;Solo work
*''The Story Of Espion'' (2002)
*' (2005)
*''Loukoums'' (2006)
*''Lucky Boy'' (2006)
*Lucky Boy at Night (2007)
113 113 may refer to:
*113 (number), a natural number
*AD 113, a year
*113 BC, a year
*113 (band), a French hip hop group
*113 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route
*113 (New Jersey bus), Ironbound Garage in Newark and run to ...
– "" (Remix)
* 1998 Fabe – "" (DJ Mehdi Remix)
* 1999 Cassius – "Feeling for You" (Cambridge Circus Mix)
* 2000 Joakim Lone Octet – "Oleg Dans Les Bois" (DJ Mehdi Remix)
* 2000 Manu Key – "" (Remix)
* 2001
Akhenaton
Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Akhenaton or Echnaton ( ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning 'Effective for the Aten'), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Before the ...
– "K (AKH)" (DJ Mehdi Remix/DJ Mehdi Instrumental Remix)
* 2002 Next Evidence – "Dance On" (DJ Mehdi Remix/DJ Mehdi's Dub)
* 2002 Etienne de Crécy – "Out of My Hands" (DJ Mehdi Remix)
* 2003
Asian Dub Foundation
Asian Dub Foundation (ADF) is an English electronic music band that combines musical styles including rap rock, dub, dancehall, ragga, ReggaeEDM, and South Asian music. The group also includes traditional rock instruments such as electric bas ...
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter (August 25, 1933 – March 2, 2023) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Shorter came to mainstream prominence in 1959 upon joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, for whom he eventually became the primary comp ...
– "Footprints" (Dub aka DJ Mehdi Remix)
* 2006
Architecture in Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki was an Australian indie pop band which consisted of Cameron Bird, Gus Franklin, Jamie Mildren, Sam Perry, and Kellie Sutherland. Before its hiatus, the band released five studio albums: '' Fingers Crossed'' (2003), '' ...
New Young Pony Club
NYPC (also known as New Young Pony Club) are an English electronic music band from London. The band was formed by Andy Spence and Tahita Bulmer in 2004. Their influences are predominantly post-punk and new wave artists.
Career Forming and si ...
– "Ice Cream" (DJ Mehdi Remix)
* 2007 Outlines- "Just a Lil' Lovin" (album)
* 2008 Sam Sparro – " 21st Century Life" (DJ Mehdi Secret Disco Dub)
* 2009
Erol Alkan
Erol Alkan (born 30 May 1974) is an English DJ and Record producer, producer of Turkish Cypriot descent. He grew up in Archway in North London.
Career
DJ and club promoter
In 1993, Erol Alkan started DJing in various Indie (music), indie n ...
&
Boys Noize
Alexander Ridha (born 22 August 1982), better known by his stage name Boys Noize, is a German-Iraqi electronic music record producer, songwriter and DJ known for collaborations with artists including A$AP Rocky, Tommy Cash, and Frank Ocean (for ...
Miike Snow
Miike Snow ( ) is a Swedish indie pop band formed in 2007. The band consists of producing team Bloodshy & Avant and American singer Andrew Wyatt. The band is often represented by a silhouette image of a jackalope. In their career, the band has re ...
– "Burial" (DJ Mehdi Remix)
* 2009
Miike Snow
Miike Snow ( ) is a Swedish indie pop band formed in 2007. The band consists of producing team Bloodshy & Avant and American singer Andrew Wyatt. The band is often represented by a silhouette image of a jackalope. In their career, the band has re ...
– ANDY FING P.
* 2009
Uffie
Anna-Catherine Hartley (born December 9, 1987), known professionally as Uffie (), is an American-French singer, songwriter, rapper, DJ, and fashion designer formerly signed to French electronic music record label Ed Banger Records.
Uffie's music ...
– "
Pop the Glock
"Pop the Glock" is a single by French-American recording artist Uffie. The re-released single was released as a 12" vinyl on November 30, 2009. "Pop the Glock" was Uffie's first single and an international underground hit. It was originally releas ...
Myspace
Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...